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dakota.potts · March 13, 2013, 03:20 AM

We choose guns because we decide this is what is necessary for us.

If you want an air taser most of us would be happy to let you have it knowing you're not going to attack somebody with it. We are glad to see people take an active role in sporting, hunting, self defense, or whatever you may use a gun for.

We are constitutionally guaranteed a right to bear arms that shall not be infringed upon. I believe we should be able to own automatic weapons if we so desire and you actually can buy mortars. The explosives are "destructive devices" and since arms were ruled by the Heller court as something that a man may use to strike or attack another with in combat. I do not see a mortar high explosive round fitting this definition.

I think you will find that most gun owners are safe, responsible, and would be willing to use their firearms to protect even those who don't think they should be allowed.

I would rather a person on a mass shooting spree have an automatic than semi automatic weapon. Why? Automatic weapons overheat. They jam faster. They empty the magazine faster. They're harder to keep effectively on target. In a power scenario (most mass murderers want power) they are very likely to just pump out rounds and actually run out of ammo faster with more misses. Even our military riflemen don't often use automatic fire for those reasons.

Furthermore, I think reform of driving laws would save MANY more people than firearms laws every year.

If we're going on a purely statistical basis, alcohol has no use other than maybe a painkiller and sterilizer. Alcohol kills many more people than firearms and has saved no one. It is not constitutionally guaranteed. Yet no one attacks alcohol use despite the number of innocents killed.

The reason for this, I believe, is quantitative versus qualitative data and the effect we let it have on our reasoning. We have quantitative data (a number of deaths) saying that alcohol deaths far outweigh deaths with a semi automatic rifle. Yet the qualitative data tells us that these events are horrible tragedies that get nationally televised. They are horrible and tragic. However, there are thousands more deaths that go un noticed and un publicized and therefore will never get media attention. We are reacting not to what would actually be good to society, but our immediate emotional reaction. I think many gun owners would give up their guns if we could somehow be guaranteed by an omniscient being that nobody would be killed by them ever again. That's not to speak for everybody. However, many of us feel a need to protect ourselves. We are legally in the United States reserve militia (US citizens) between the ages of 18 and 45 I believe. If I'm going to be part of a militia, I believe I have the right to train and prepare myself.

Furthermore, a crazed shooter could go right now and buy 20 black powder revolvers. They are not registered as firearms. There are no alerts for bulk buys. As far as I know there are no background checks. It would weigh less than the guns and ammo carried by the latest mass murderers. It would be cheaper than the guns and ammo. And yet that would be 120 rounds of ammunition, more than was fired in Aurora and Newtown by either of those shooters.

Does that help?

March 13, 2013, 03:20 AM	#10
dakota.potts Senior Member Join Date: February 25, 2013 Location: Keystone Heights, Florida Posts: 3,084	We choose guns because we decide this is what is necessary for us. If you want an air taser most of us would be happy to let you have it knowing you're not going to attack somebody with it. We are glad to see people take an active role in sporting, hunting, self defense, or whatever you may use a gun for. We are constitutionally guaranteed a right to bear arms that shall not be infringed upon. I believe we should be able to own automatic weapons if we so desire and you actually can buy mortars. The explosives are "destructive devices" and since arms were ruled by the Heller court as something that a man may use to strike or attack another with in combat. I do not see a mortar high explosive round fitting this definition. I think you will find that most gun owners are safe, responsible, and would be willing to use their firearms to protect even those who don't think they should be allowed. I would rather a person on a mass shooting spree have an automatic than semi automatic weapon. Why? Automatic weapons overheat. They jam faster. They empty the magazine faster. They're harder to keep effectively on target. In a power scenario (most mass murderers want power) they are very likely to just pump out rounds and actually run out of ammo faster with more misses. Even our military riflemen don't often use automatic fire for those reasons. Furthermore, I think reform of driving laws would save MANY more people than firearms laws every year. If we're going on a purely statistical basis, alcohol has no use other than maybe a painkiller and sterilizer. Alcohol kills many more people than firearms and has saved no one. It is not constitutionally guaranteed. Yet no one attacks alcohol use despite the number of innocents killed. The reason for this, I believe, is quantitative versus qualitative data and the effect we let it have on our reasoning. We have quantitative data (a number of deaths) saying that alcohol deaths far outweigh deaths with a semi automatic rifle. Yet the qualitative data tells us that these events are horrible tragedies that get nationally televised. They are horrible and tragic. However, there are thousands more deaths that go un noticed and un publicized and therefore will never get media attention. We are reacting not to what would actually be good to society, but our immediate emotional reaction. I think many gun owners would give up their guns if we could somehow be guaranteed by an omniscient being that nobody would be killed by them ever again. That's not to speak for everybody. However, many of us feel a need to protect ourselves. We are legally in the United States reserve militia (US citizens) between the ages of 18 and 45 I believe. If I'm going to be part of a militia, I believe I have the right to train and prepare myself. Furthermore, a crazed shooter could go right now and buy 20 black powder revolvers. They are not registered as firearms. There are no alerts for bulk buys. As far as I know there are no background checks. It would weigh less than the guns and ammo carried by the latest mass murderers. It would be cheaper than the guns and ammo. And yet that would be 120 rounds of ammunition, more than was fired in Aurora and Newtown by either of those shooters. Does that help?